Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 170 - 168: Women’s Compassion

Chapter 170: Chapter 168: Women’s Compassion

"I’m sorry, little Perfikot, it’s my fault for not disciplining him enough." The Empress first expressed her apology to the harassed Perfikot: "Rest assured, I will warn him later, and I hope this matter won’t cause you any trouble."

The Empress felt helpless about her own son as well. She had tried to nurture him when he was young, but he was simply too unruly.

Especially after he gradually reached adulthood, he became increasingly indulgent in women, causing extremely embarrassing incidents for the Royal Family.

If it weren’t for the Empress using an iron fist approach to suppress it at the time, the Royal Family might have changed its successor then.

In fact, it was precisely because of that incident that the Empress gave up on nurturing Justinian, and instead placed her hopes on the Eldest Princess Annie.

It was also because of Justinian’s failure that the upper echelons of the Victor Empire basically gave up on him. Although a portion of conservatives opposed Annie becoming the heir due to her gender, they didn’t insist that Justinian must inherit the throne.

These conservatives more often favored another male heir of the Royal Family, Prince Edward, who was the nephew of the previous King and the uncle of the Eldest Princess Annie and Justinian.

Because the previous Emperor only had the Empress as a daughter, many initially supported this Prince’s succession.

However, this Prince fell in love with a widow from the New Continent colony, even forsaking his royal succession rights for her.

The Victor Empire’s inheritance law stipulated that Royal Family members could only marry followers of the Church of the Divine Father, but the widow was not a believer.

Just this point alone made the Church resolutely oppose Prince Edward’s succession, and combined with the old Emperor’s own wishes, the throne was passed to the current Empress.

Perfikot didn’t understand these details well, but she could still keenly sense that she seemed to be caught up in the Royal Family’s power succession issue.

This made Perfikot feel particularly speechless. At such a time, there were still such tedious dramas of usurping the throne unfolding.

The future that humanity needs to face is an apocalyptic cold, requiring a leader with an iron grip and an authoritative voice!

The only one meeting this requirement is the Empress, who has been on the throne for decades; even Eldest Princess Annie lacks the prestige and iron-blooded decisiveness in this regard.

Thinking of this, Perfikot even regretted why she didn’t directly kill Justinian when he was making lewd remarks to her just now for a one-time solution to the problem.

In the current situation, the Victor Empire simply doesn’t have the capacity to engage in any internal power struggles.

Is expecting humanity to remain rational truly a luxury? In Perfikot’s red eyes, a faint red glow flashed.

Despite feeling helpless about this, Perfikot still said to the Empress: "I can regard this matter as a misunderstanding, but Duke of Windesore said something to me earlier that seemed to contain some strange information. He tried to control me with the threat of Church religious judgment to obtain the technology I possess.

I’m not sure if this is the will of the Duke himself, or the idea of some forces behind him, but as the Northern Guardian of the Empire, I don’t wish for any unpleasantness with the Royal Family, especially when my own safety is threatened."

The Empress understood the underlying meaning of Perfikot’s words. She nodded solemnly and then assured: "Rest assured, Perfikot, I will have him sent to the manor in Shack County, and you will no longer see him in Langton."

Although this wasn’t the result she wanted, Perfikot still reluctantly nodded: "If that’s the case, then that would be best."

"Annie, stay with little Perfikot for a while." The Empress heard Perfikot’s response, nodded, then turned to leave, leaving Eldest Princess Annie to soothe Perfikot’s emotions.

"I’m sorry, little Perfikot, I didn’t expect my brother would seek you out." Eldest Princess Annie said with a face full of apology, and her sincerity surpassed that of the Empress earlier: "It’s a good thing you weren’t harmed, or I really wouldn’t know how to explain to your mother!"

Treating the only daughter of her good friend, Eldest Princess Annie truly regarded Perfikot as her own child.

But on the other hand, it was also her own brother. Although their sibling relationship wasn’t bad, it wasn’t particularly close either. Eldest Princess Annie still had to consider the Royal Family’s face and the related public opinion impact in certain aspects.

Perfikot looked at the worried Eldest Princess Annie in front of her and sighed: "Aunt Annie, while I’m glad that my elder relative is a person full of humanity, you lack quite a bit for the current situation and the whole Empire.

Whether it’s determination or shrewdness, you are too kind-hearted! This wouldn’t matter in ordinary times, but now we are facing the apocalypse, and such kindness will harm not only yourself but the entire Empire."

Perfikot was very touched by Eldest Princess Annie’s concern for her. After all, having lost almost all her family in this world, it was hard to feel the warmth of familial love again.

But if personal emotions were set aside, Perfikot felt that Eldest Princess Annie indeed lacked too much.

She gave off the impression of a noble knight who had not endured the harsh realities of life but lived in a chivalric novel’s brightness and righteousness.

This might be related to her experiences. After all, as the Eldest Princess of the Royal Family, she enlisted in the army and went to the front lines after coming of age. Although she had been tempered by the flames of war, being a princess and part of one of the world’s most powerful nations, it’s understandable she maintained relatively pure emotions.

If it were peacetime, given the Empire’s strength, such a kind ruler would be very popular with the people. After all, who wouldn’t want an emperor who could understand and care for the lives of the lower class?

But with the apocalypse impending, the one to lead the Empire forward must be an iron-blooded, dictatorial, even ruthless tyrant.

With only two years until the apocalyptic winter arrives, not just the Empire, but all of humanity does not have the luxury for indecisiveness or naive kindness.

"Little Perfikot, why do you say such things?" Eldest Princess Annie was somewhat taken aback. She hadn’t expected Perfikot to say such words after such an incident.

However, Perfikot simply shook her head, raised her hand, and pointed to a decorative suit of armor on the side, then activated alchemy.

An invisible air cannon instantly struck the chestplate of the armor, creating a fist-sized hole and punching through to make a plate-sized hole in the wall. Only then did Perfikot say: "I am the Empire’s strongest Alchemist, Aunt Annie, do you really think he can threaten me?"